Empty tanks, movements and single fish

[Velvetgun]

hello everyone
As you may remember, I have a 60x30x30 cm aquarium of 54 liters (about 15 gallons) that I was thinking of allocating to a betta and some tank mates
The project has stopped because I will have to (it is not yet clear when) do some work on the floors of the house and therefore move the tank.
Yours is a forum that I love because you know how to give advice without judgment but with great competence.
Two questions:
- is it complicated to move a tank like mine from one room to another and then back to the original one? Are the fish at risk? It makes me extremely sad to see my tank so empty and without anything...

In the meantime, I have realized several things that I would like to talk to you about and I refer to a post that I just read on this forum
I love "single" fish, fish that I can recognize, whether by species, color, structure.
I don't really like the school in which they all look the same and I can't define them.
I also love "interactive" fish, which observe what happens outside the tank, with interesting behavior.
In a 54-liter tank with these premises, what would you put?
I had thought of a betta with some platys, but do you have other ideas? Can platys live with bettas? In my country there are conflicting opinions

I know that it will seem like a stupid idea to most, maybe I can also love a school, if for example thinking of tanichtys maybe two are of one color, two of another and two of the related species.
If you have other ideas besides the betta they are welcome!!!

I attach a photo of my empty and lonely aquarium

 

[GaryE]

Moving tanks is easy. I have a fishroom, and I am constantly adjusting, changing and creating new projects in there. Tanks small enough to move tend to get moved. If you have been disciplined with regular water changes, draining the tank and refilling it with properly dechlorinated or dechloramined water is no problem for the fish. It's just a big water change.

I leave a couple of cm of water at the bottom, and move the tank. That's all.

Before the weekend ends, I will have moved two 40 ltr and one 60 ltr tank, simply because, well, because I want to change the appearance of things...

If you are going to keep a fish alone, it has to be a fish that hates all other fish, or fears them (or both). Long finned Bettas fit that because they see poorly, are vulnerable with their unnatural fins, and are extremely defensive about their feeding and breeding. You would want a small fish with that aquarium size.

I have noticed that there are many more good European stores than we have in North America. I've seen some bad stores in my travels, and every continent has plenty of those. But Europe tends to have more and different species available than what I would see in stores around here. As we'd expect, how good the store is often depends on how large the city is, and I don't know your circumstances. If you have good stores, visit them and take note of what you see and like. Then see what people here have to say about those species.

On an international forum, what is easy and normal in stores in one country can be impossible to find in another.

 

[Magnum Man]

also you will find if properly cared for, most male bettas become quite interactive with their keepers... Gary's suggestion for moving tanks makes it pretty easy, but may require a 2nd persons help, depending on your strength, or age

even if you started with a handful of guppies or platy's, many have color variations that will allow you to identify individual fish, and if they happen to breed, this can add another level of interest in the hobby

 

[Velvetgun]

Thank you ! but is the combination of Platy of various colors and Betta to be avoided due to a question of values and water temperature?

 

[Magnum Man]

probably... would be best one or the other... there are often attempts to find tank mates for bettas... the success seems to be on a fish, by fish basis... some may be ok sharing a tank, but others, even if water parameters are a match, won't tolerate anyone else in their space... watching how these are typically farm raised most have been solitary their whole lives

 

[Fishkeeper123]

Thank you ! but is the combination of Platy of various colors and Betta to be avoided due to a question of values and water temperature?

I would say to do a betta. Try and find a decent quality one, with nice fins which aren’t super long but look nice as well. I would personally add khuli loaches to the tank. I would say a group of 6-8. Then that’s a fully stocked tank, just ensure there are lots of hiding spots and don’t get a too small group as otherwise you will never see them. Also make sure you add the betta last. I think a platy and a betta would be a bad combination, platies are lively and they look kind of similar so the betta may see it as a threat.

 

[seangee]

For a small tank like that I would (carefully) move it during a water change - after draining and before refilling. Since you still have to fill the tank ...
I have hard floors and my tank stands get placed on an upside down piece of carpet or rug cut to size. That way if I do have to move them I can slide across the floor by pushing on the stand so I don't place any stress on the tank. It makes life a lot easier if you are able to do this.

 

[Fishkeeper123]

On another thread you posted that you wanted to get a 200-300l tank soon. Do you plan on having multiple tanks because if not a betta may not be the best option as they restrict future tank mates? You mentioned you like barbs and American fish many of these don’t get on with bettas. So I’ll throw another fish in the mix, honey gouramis. I would get a single and then another fish like the kuhlis or various other possible tank mates.

 

[MaloK]

If your tank support can pass trough a door easily, you can install good slider for heavy furniture on it. Then lowering the water level a good part and you will be able to glide the tank easily out of the way when the floor job gets done.

 

[Back in the fold]

... the success seems to be on a fish, by fish basis...

They are all individuals . All are particular in some way or another and their level of tolerance for company varies greatly . Most of them are angry little creatures . Kuhlii Loaches are perfect companions to a Betta . The lone Betta never bothers them .

 

[Velvetgun]

If your tank support can pass trough a door easily, you can install good slider for heavy furniture on it. Then lowering the water level a good part and you will be able to glide the tank easily out of the way when the floor job gets done.

They should redo the entire floor in the kitchen and living room and then I would have to move it to the bedroom. There are two steps but they have a platform that I used for my elderly dog. Do you think I can get through? I'm ignorant and if I lower the level and take two or even four people, will the aquarium break?

 

[Velvetgun]

On another thread you posted that you wanted to get a 200-300l tank soon. Do you plan on having multiple tanks because if not a betta may not be the best option as they restrict future tank mates? You mentioned you like barbs and American fish many of these don’t get on with bettas. So I’ll throw another fish in the mix, honey gouramis. I would get a single and then another fish like the kuhlis or various other possible tank mates.

Let's say that the small tank is for starters and to have it in a space where we live a lot and I can see it often and it's not too difficult to move. As soon as the house is ok I would like a real tank, then I can have fun with the inhabitants. As I was saying, my favorite fish are both anabantids and cichlids and various barbs. I am aware that it is not easy to cohabit with barbs, for this reason I put them either as an idea of a medium tank with only them or added to an aquarium with fish that tolerate them. But maybe I'll ask you in a specific post. I'm getting a lot of information about cichlids because the more I read the more I love them, it won't be an easy choice

I love gouramis but perhaps the one I love the least is the honey gourami, I really love the ancestral form of the dwarf gourami and the pearl gourami but they told me that for 54 liters we are too narrow. I had also thought for the 54 to put an opercularis instead of the betta with Tanichthys both gold albonubes and micagemmae but even for this combination they told me that it is too small

Also the dwarf gourami told me that suffers from many diseases and hardly survives.
One thing I would like would be long-lived fish, another thing that attracts me a lot are different cichlids

 

[MaloK]

They should redo the entire floor in the kitchen and living room and then I would have to move it to the bedroom. There are two steps but they have a platform that I used for my elderly dog. Do you think I can get through? I'm ignorant and if I lower the level and take two or even four people, will the aquarium break?

No, there's no problem. it's even better it you are two. as long as you're going slowly and keep it level all the way. It's pretty safe.

 

[Fishkeeper123]

Let's say that the small tank is for starters and to have it in a space where we live a lot and I can see it often and it's not too difficult to move. As soon as the house is ok I would like a real tank, then I can have fun with the inhabitants. As I was saying, my favorite fish are both anabantids and cichlids and various barbs. I am aware that it is not easy to cohabit with barbs, for this reason I put them either as an idea of a medium tank with only them or added to an aquarium with fish that tolerate them. But maybe I'll ask you in a specific post. I'm getting a lot of information about cichlids because the more I read the more I love them, it won't be an easy choice

I love gouramis but perhaps the one I love the least is the honey gourami, I really love the ancestral form of the dwarf gourami and the pearl gourami but they told me that for 54 liters we are too narrow. I had also thought for the 54 to put an opercularis instead of the betta with Tanichthys both gold albonubes and micagemmae but even for this combination they told me that it is too small

Also the dwarf gourami told me that suffers from many diseases and hardly survives.
One thing I would like would be long-lived fish, another thing that attracts me a lot are different cichlids

For gouramis I would say another option are the sparkling gouramis. I don’t know any of the scientific names but I would only consider the honey or sparkling for this size tank. Barbs are fine tank mates I would keep them with some cichlids depending on the barbs and cichlids species you are talking about.
I would say choose one species for the 54l then maybe add tank mates once you have decided. Just make sure to check that, that species is okay in a 54l tank as many won’t.
Gouramis can get the iridovirus, I think around 80 percent of dwarf gouramis get it and some of the other gouramis get it(not honeys and I don’t think sparklings either)